Occupant propelled roundabout



H. G. WILSON ET AL OCCUPANT PROPELLED ROUNDABOUT Aug. 12, @952 Filed June 1 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 32, 3952 H. (5. WILSON ET AL 2,606,763

OCCUPANT PROPELLED ROUNDABOUT Filed June 19, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR S.

W./z/ BY yam 6% 604,6. a. 6M ATTOR/Vfy Patented Aug. 12, 19 52 OCCUPANT PROPELLED BOUNDABOUT Harry G. Wilson, San Fernando, and James S. Evans, San Marino, Calif.

Application June 19, 1947, Serial No. 755,680

1 Claim. 1

.This invention relates to an amusement device of the whirlaround type, and. constitutes a material improvement over our earlier inventions relating to the same type of device, described in applications Serial No. 546,599 of July 26, 1944,

now, abandoned, and Serial No. 663,078 of April 18, 1946, which became Patent No. 2,516,049, July 18, 1950. u I V In its general character a whirlaround is composed of a frame that rests upon the ground and supports a mast or post at the central part. Upon this Post is supported a rotating frame having a plurality of arms which project away from the mast, upon the ends of which are seats. Before each of the seats there may be provided a hand grip if desired, and before one of them is a device for rotating the frame around the post. Children seat themselves on the ends of the arms, and one of them causes the frame to rotate so that they have the exhilaration of rapid rotatingmotion. Our former devices of this type have proved to be very successful, but because of certain complexities in structure, to be somewhat more difiicult to manufacture than is desirable.

It is an object of this invention to make a device of the character described which will be extremely strong, of very simple construction requiring few parts, safe to operate, and readily dismantled or assembled.

Another object of the invention is to simplify the base and mast structure while increasing its strength and without reducing its resilience.

The objects of the invention are accomplished, generally speaking, by conceptions embodied in the particular example hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a whirlaround constructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the blanks employed in making the novel frame of the amusement device;

Fig. 4 shows the frame members in position for assembly and in various stages of manufacture.

Referring now to the numerals of Fig. l, a ground support base H] is composed of four arms screw threaded in a coupling ll having four screw threaded bosses to receive the arms ID. The screw threads in the bosses are angularly disposed with respect to the vertical axis of the connection so that only the ends of the members rest upon the ground, the connection ll being UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE supported several inches above the ground and therefore giving material resilience to the entire structure in use. Centrally screw threaded into the connection I l is a mast l2.

Referring now to Fig. 3 in the lower part of which is shown the blank 20 from which is constructed one of the frame members, and in the upper part of which is shown the blank 30 from which is constructed the other of the crossed frame members, the numeral 2| indicates two longitudinal lines equidistant from the longitudinal center line of" the blank. These are fold lines about which the outer sections of the blank are to be folded at degrees to the central panel 22 which lies between the lines 2 When the metal plate 20 is thus folded, the central panel 22 is constituted as shown in the other figures.

There is also formed from the body ofthe plate 20 two flanges 23, 24, by bending at right "angles to the panels 25, 26, which are formed between the fold-lines 2| and the fold lines 21. As thus folded about the lines 2!, 21, the frame member constitutes a channel with openendsand with flanges 23, 24 which are adapted to serve as foot rests.

In order to close the ends of the channel the blank 20 is provided between one of the lines 2| and one of the lines 2! with extensions 28, 29 which when folded over close the open ends of the channel. These folded pieces may be brazed or welded if desired.

The frame member 30 is similarly constructed, but is provided with cut out portions 3|, 32 that leave the central panel 33 untouched and snugly fit over the channel member 20. In a preferred form of the invention, the blank 30 is enough wider than blank 20 to provide small flanges 31, which are cut off short of the openings 3|, 32 and which abut the flanges 23, 24 in the assembled position of the frame.

The two channels 20, 30 are centrally provided with four sets of matching holes 35, 35' to provide for the permanent assembly of the parts and for the connection of a bearing 40, shown in Fig. 2, for the upper end of the mast I2. The bearing 40 is shown in this instance to be composed of a sleeve which circumscribes the end of the mast l2, a single ball bearing 4| within the sleeve 40 being employed to carry the weight of the apparatus and to lend it ease of rotation.

The frame is steadied upon the mast by means of a lower bar 42 which is supported upon braces 43, M which are attached by bolts 45 to the flange of member 20. These bolts 45 also serve to join the overlapping portions of the flanges 23, 31, so

that the entire frame structure is ver strong and sturdy in construction. Seats 50 are placed at the ends of the rotatable frame and before three of the seats are hand grips 5! which consist of posts seated in sockets 52 attached to the undersides of the frame. These hand grips 5| are readily removable or may be permanently mounted as desired.

On one of the frame ends is a bracket 52 and a brace 53 in vertical alignment. The bracket 52 carries a bearing 56, and the brace 53 has a bearing 55. Mounted in these bearings by means of collars 5B, 5'! is a rotatable shaft 58 having at one end a crank 59 and at the other end a pulley G0. Fixedly mounted on the post or mast I2 is a pulley 6!. The pulleys 60, 5| are connected by a drive 62 which may be of belt, chain, or other type. By rotating the crank 59 the frame is made to rotate around the mast 12 at whatever speed is imparted by the operator.

The structure thus described is of simple parts, may be made by manufacturing processes of simple and known character relating to the art of bending satisfactory metals, and is well adapted to its functions. The flanges provide foot rests for the riders, the support lends resiliency to the whole, and the simplicity of the constructions involved contributes to dismantling and assembly. The structure is of great durability.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, except as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

An amusement device having a rotating rider supporting carriage including two crossed inverted U-shaped channel beams with unitary closed ends and unitary flanges projecting as foot rests for the riders of said carriage, one of said beams having the central part of its channel sides and flanges removed so as to snugly receive the channel portion of the other of said beams with the top portion and flanges of the latter beam abutting the top portion and flanges of the said one beam, the said other beam providing a seat internally thereof for a bearing located at the intersection of the beams, fastening means to hold the bearing and beams together, a plate attached to the flanges beneath the said bearing, a bearing on the plate, a supporting mast fitting the said bearings, a shaft extending through and journalled on one of said beams having a crank and pulley, a pulley fixed to the mast, and a drive connection between the pulleys whereby the carriage may be rotated by the crank.

HARRY G. WILSON.

JAMES S. EVANS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 198,659 Millward Dec. 25, 1877 843,908 Olson Feb. 12, 1907 1,261,149 Morris Apr. 2, 1918 1,486,669 Kline Mar. 11, 1924 1,639,393 Woodruii Aug. 16, 1927 1,643,097 Stewart et a1 Sept. 20, 1927 1,709,446 Travers Apr. 16, 1929 1,760,811 Bustin et al. May 27, 1930 1,788,133 Travers Jan. 6, 1931 1,810,817 Brainard et al June 16, 1931 1,836,289 Smith Dec. 15, 1931 2,035,168 Kregling Mar. 24, 1936 2,191,161 Romanofi Feb. 20, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,760 Great Britain Mar. 30, 1887 

